ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. last — finally
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kid — child
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — army training
  14. kid — to tease
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. last — final
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com